Published by
AmBank Group
Group Corporate Communications
Copyright © AmBank Group, 2012.
First edition, June, 2012.
Print production
Superior Press Sdn Bhd
LATA Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
Preface
I have pleasure in presenting AmBank Group’s (back then known
as the Arab-Malaysian Banking Group) very own collection of LAT’s
cartoons. LAT, whose real name is Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid, is Malaysia’s
leading cartoonist. Through his humorous and yet sometimes critical
observations of the typical Malaysian way of life, he has captured the
hearts of not only Malaysians from all walks of life but also gained
international recognition.
I hope that the cartoons in this book will evoke many fond
memories and many smiles from you!
Kuala Lumpur
June, 2012
6 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991 7
Foreword
Looking at the collection of the cartoons again now, I am reminded of the
many happy moments from 1984 to 1991 when I worked closely with Tan
Sri Azman Hashim and the banking group to capture snapshots, if you will,
of the Group in action, as well as the captain strongly steering the financial
powerhouse of AmBank Group as it steadily grew stronger and larger.
At this juncture, I must congratulate Tan Sri Azman for having taken a bold
step in branding the then Arab-Malaysian Banking Group using cartoon
caricatures to communicate with their retail customers and corporate
clients. This is indeed revolutionary and visionary on the part of Tan Sri.
I am glad to have had a share of that piece of history of the group.
The idea was to give peeks, with an added dash of humour, into the inner
workings and daily life at the bank (including catching Tan Sri Azman
Hashim as well as the senior management ‘in action’ ), its products
and services, elements of branding as well as emphasis on giving equal
recognition to all races and religions. To capture the latter, I made many
sketches of staff and customers of all races as well as a series of cartoons
serving as festive greetings for Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali and
Christmas.
The Group’s mascot, the camel, features prominently in the cartoons and
you will also find glimpses of the various facets of Tan Sri Azman Hashim’s
personality. Additionally, I was able to see at close quarters how the
Group functioned as a reflection of the man’s salient qualities – honesty,
determination, resilience, compassion and above all, an insistence on being
down-to-earth and approachable.
I hope you will enjoy these delightful little gems which simultaneously
remind us that the core characteristics which have endeared AmBank
Group to us have not changed much over the years.
Yours sincerely,
Prologue
In December, 1984, Lat sketched his first cartoon for Berita AmBank Group, the Group’s
newsletter with characters Cik Yah, Ah Har and Letchmi in a piece featuring the savings account.
The cartoon was published in the New Straits Times in 1985 and with that, the AmBank-Lat
relationship was born. Throughout the next seven years, Malaysia’s most famous cartoonist
went on to create a motley compilation of cartoons that served as a window into the world of
AmBank Group.
Malaysia was first introduced to Lat’s affairs. His cartoon characters have memory for detail, Lat has been
cartoons in 1968, when a publisher, always been portraying ordinary much sought after by embassy
Sinaran Brothers of Penang paid people – a villager in his checkered officials who recognised his ability
13-year old Lat RM25 for his work, sarong, a money-changer in his to deliver fresh insights into their
Tiga Sekawan, a story about three white dhoti, a Malay government own countries, ‘reporting’ his
friends who banded together servant in his bush jacket and experiences to his readers via
to catch robbers. Meanwhile his sometimes even Lat himself: that cartoon ‘travelogues’.
caricatures and stories of Keluarga character with the flat, round face;
Si Mamat entertained readers of the nose slightly off centre; the After over forty years of evoking
Berita Minggu every Sunday. untidy mop of dark, curly hair; and laughter, Lat is turning out even
the constant toothy grin! sharper, satirical and more focused
Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid, better commentary. Age has not made him
known as Lat, completed school in He has been gently subtle in serious or sophisticated. Beneath
1969 and the following year moved capturing the idiosyncracies of his quiet demeanour still lurks that
to Kuala Lumpur, where he applied Malaysian life, as when depicting childlike and irrepressible sense of
for a full-time job as an artist with a newsreader looking serious, with humour that has captured so many
the New Straits Times but was shirt and tie reading the news; in hearts. On 20 March, 2010, Datuk
instead was offered a position as a the next picture, he has finished Mohd Nor Khalid was awarded
crime reporter, which he accepted. and is walking away from the desk, the NPC-Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin
Four years later, impressed with his revealing his sarong. This is the SM Amin ‘1Malaysian of the Year
work with Asia Magazine in Hong essence of Lat’s cartoons, reminding Award’ for his cartoons which have
Kong (which published a collection many Malaysians of their roots given an in-depth meaning to the
of his Bersunat cartoons), the New in kampungs and the chaotic word unity.
Straits Times editor-in-chief was developing cities of the 60s and 70s
shocked to learn the cartoonist was – a reminder of how far Malaysia A world citizen, cosmopolitan,
already on the staff of the Times has come in such a short time. and most of all, a kampung boy
Group – as a crime reporter! That at heart, Lat is many persons in
same year, Lat made his English- Or he can be poignantly sharp. one. Perhaps this explains his
language debut with Scenes of When famine hit an African state unique ability to break through the
Malaysian Life appearing thrice during the New Year festivities in communal barriers of the multiracial
weekly in the New Straits Times. the 80s, Lat made his comment culture of Malaysia. Never before
He soon gained a devoted following. with one picture and no words: was there a cartoonist who could
as people feast and party in a large make Malaysians of all races laugh
Lat’s cartoons – honest, earthy and room, no-one is watching the at themselves, and with each other.
without malice – present true-to-life television news, which features a While characterising the unique
pictures that capture the humour of starving mother and her child. qualities of different races of people,
topical events, domestic incidents, With his astute powers of he has brought out the universality
travels abroad or international observation and an incredible of man.
Products & Services
12 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
A. B.
Savings Account
C. A. Advertisement on savings account with characters Cik
Yah and Ah Har. First appreared in the New Straits Times
on 10 May, 1985. It was reprinted in the Business Times
on 22 October, 1985, and 26 August, 1986; New Straits
Times on 8 January, 26 August and 18 December, 1986;
Utusan Malaysia on 14 March, 1986; Berita Harian on
12 May, 1986; The Star on 14 July, 1986; Berita AmBank
Group in December, 1984.
Home Improvement
Loan Facility
Advertisement featuring the
Home Improvement Loan. First
appeared in Utusan Malaysia
and The Star on 27 May, 1985.
Subsequently it was reprinted
in The Star on 30 May, 1985
and Berita AmBank Group in
September, 1985.
Factoring Facility
Advertisement promoting factoring. First appeared
in the New Straits Times on 8 May, 1986.
Subsequently it reappeared in The Star on 12 May,
2 June, 6 December, 1986 and 19 October, 1988;
Business Times on 22 May, 1986, 6 September,
4 October and 1 November, 1988; New Straits
Times on 16 November, 1987, 17 November and
15 December, 1988; China Press on 19 October,
1988; Berita Harian on 5 November, 1990 and
Berita AmBank Group in March, 1985.
14 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
Factoring Facility
Advertisement on factoring. First
appeared in the Business Times on
6 September, 1988 and 4 October,
1988. It was reprinted in The Star,
19 October, 1988; China Press on
19 October, 1988; Business Times,
1 November, 1988; the New Straits
Times on 17 November, 1988,
17 and 15 December, 1988.
Sunday Banking
Advertisement featuring Sunday banking in
Berita AmBank Group in March, 1985.
A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991 15
Fire Insurance
Advertisement for Fire Insurance. First
appeared in The Star on 21 May, 1985.
Subsequently it appeared in Utusan
Malaysia on 31 May, 1985 and Berita
AmBank Group in June, 1985.
16 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
Arab-Malaysian Investment
Management (AMIM) Account
Advertisement featuring the Arab-Malaysian Investment
Management (AMIM) Account. First appeared in the
Business Times on 19 July, 1988 followed by reprints on
20 October, 1988, 22 December, 1989, 8 March, 1991,
18 May, 1990, 26 July, 5 October and 13 December,
1991. Subsequently, it was reprinted in the New Straits
Times on 28 December, 1989 and Berita AmBank Group
in March, 1991.
A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991 17
Savings Account
Advertisement for Savings Account with high interest rate returns calculated on a daily basis. First appreared
in The Star on 4 April, 1986 and subsequently in Berita Harian on 12 May, 1986.
ATM Services
Advertisement introducing ATM services
with the camel mascot. First appeared in
Berita AmBank Group in September, 1987.
18 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
Arab-Malaysian Investment
Management (AMIM) Account
Advertisement promoting the Arab-Malaysian
Investment Management (AMIM) account.
First appeared in the Business Times on
25 March, 1986. Subsequently, it reappeared
in the Business Times on 26 April, 20 May,
17 June, 15 July, 12 August, 1986, 8 March,
26 July, 13 December, 1991; and Berita
AmBank Group in September, 1985 and
June, 1986.
Late Banking
Advertisement promoting late banking hours
at the SS2 branch with then Managing Director
Tan Sri Azlan Zainol joining in the racuous calls
from the nearby pasar malam. First appeared in
Berita AmBank Group in December, 1985.
24 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
Factoring Facility
Advertisement on factoring.
First appeared in Berita AmBank
Group in March, 1989.
Hire-Purchase Financing
Advetisement featuring Arab-Malaysian Finance Berhad’s Hire-Purchase Financing. The
caricatures first appeared in the product brochure“The fast way to get your car on the road”.
AMSAS Facility
Advertisement featuring the facility for
application for new shares. (AMSAS has since
been withdrawn)
Group Branding
30 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
Savings Account
Caricature of Tan Sri Azman Hashim turning
heads by coming to work on a camel.
This was to promote the high interest rate
of 10% offered by the Bank to savings
accounts. First appeared in Berita AmBank
Group in December, 1984.
A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991 31
The Arab-Malaysian Banking Group also contributed to the Kuala Lumpur Official Guide
as part of its efforts to promote domestic tourism. Lat’s cartoon with Tan Sri Azman
Hashim and customers was featured on the back cover of the guide. It was reprinted in
Berita AmBank Group in June, 1986.
This caricature was also used as the front cover for the publication of the “Selamat
Datang” booklet published by the Arab-Malaysian Banking Group in 1990, on earlier
creation of Lat’s caricatures.
32 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
Arab-Malaysian Banking
Group Branding
The Arab-Malaysian brand proudly
displayed on a billboard at a bus
stop located along Jalan Raja Chulan
near the Group’s headquarters. The
caricature appeared in Berita AmBank
Group in March, 1986.
Savings Account
Visitors looking at camels at the zoo are
reminded of the mascot and icon of the
Arab-Malaysian Banking Group. Appeared
in Berita AmBank Group in June, 1986.
A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991 33
Fixed Deposits –
Customer Experiences
Caricature of a customer anticipating the returns
of fixed deposits. First appeared in The Star on
6 March, 1986. Subsequently, it reappeared
in Utusan Malaysia on 7 March, 1986 and the
Berita AmBank Group in December, 1985.
A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991 35
Family Culture
Caricature promoting happy and close-knit
members of a family.
The Savers’ G.A.N.G. Coin Box The Savers’ G.A.N.G. Spirit Of Unity
The Savers’ G.A.N.G. with a camel coinbox. The Savers’ G.A.N.G. demonstrating the spirit of
Malaysian harmony.
40 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
Season’s Greetings
The caricature featured Tan Sri Azman Hashim
and senior management. Appeared in Berita
AmBank Group in December, 1985.
A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991 45
At A Board Meeting
Caricature of a board meeting. Appeared in
Berita AmBank Group in March, 1988.
64 A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991
On Fitness First
Busy management team
keeping fit at the gym,
Arab-Malaysian Banking
Group. Appeared in
Berita AmBank Group in
September, 1989.
LAT A Collection of Cartoons, 1984-1991